The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson zt”l, passed away on the third day of the Jewish month of Tamuz in the year 5754 from Creation (June 12, 1994). Traditionally, this is a day for reflection, learning, prayer, recommitment, and positive action
The Rebbe was a heroic human being of incalculable strength, great spiritual and intellectual intensity, but most of all, an uncompromising and unconditional lover of Jews individually and the Jewish people as a whole.
What he was is epitomized by the following story:
One of the Rebbe’s devoted followers, George Rohr, a member of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, came to the Rebbe right after Rosh HaShanah. Rohr told him proudly, “Rebbe, you will be pleased to know that we had 180 people for Rosh HaShanah services, Jews with no background.” The Rebbe’s eyes flashed and he responded: “You’re wrong; they have a background. Go tell them that they are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah!” This response encapsulates a worldview with a love of your fellow at its core. The Rebbe saw every Jew as family, as having the same background, that of our Avos and Imahos, and therefore, as having the same potential for a full Jewish life.
To help each of us realize that potential, the Rebbe reinvented outreach, a philosophy that is fundamental to Chabad chasidism – ”And you shall expand outward to the west and east, to the north and south” (Genesis 28:14) – and made it into a powerful movement that literally moved people all over the world.
Our Sages declare that the righteous are even greater after their passing than during their lifetime, and the constant stream of visitors to the Rebbe’s resting place (the Ohel) from every sector of the Jewish nation testifies to the powerful truth of their words. The Ohel has become a center, the place where thousands come and continue to receive inspiration and blessing from the Rebbe.
List of People Who Need a r’fuah sh’leimah (a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Yonasan ben Sigalit
David ben Sarah
Yaakov ben Simchah
Eliyahu ben Margalit
Yitzchak ben Mazal
Yitzchak Chaim ben Sarah
Yosef ben Nosrat
Moshe ben Mazal
Mordechai ben Chanah
Shlomo ben Miriam
Yosef ben Renee
Nesanel ben Miriam
Ariel ben Sarah
Chaim Yonah ben Ilana
Ovadiah ben Avraham
Fredel bas Hendil
Rachel Leah bas Esther
Adele bas Sarah
Ava bas Ilana Esther
Sonia bas Rachel
Tovah Yocheved bas Esther Bukas
Ruchama Perel Malkah Leah bas Chanah Serel
Esther Hadasah bas Devorah
Ora bas Naomi
Miriam bas Rivkah
Elka Rachel bas Sarah Malkah
Lielle Devorah bas Esther
Blume bas Esthel Rivkah
Tziporah bas Fruma
Miryam bas Sarah
Shalvah bas Sarah
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s T’hilim column, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and complete the Google form.
